SECTOR Executive  PRICE €54,600 – €62,100 (approx)  FUEL 6.10 –8.9l/100km CO2 159 – 206g/km

A friend of mine had a first generation Audi A6 Allroad 2.5TDI and liked it very much. His work involved occasional visits to construction sites, so it suited his needs well. He didn’t want serious off-road capability but appreciated the additional traction. He liked it so much in fact, that he decided to replace it with the successor model, but changed his mind when he found that the price had risen around €15,000. Audi had priced the Allroad to appeal to those with premium SUV budgets who didn’t want a premium SUV and it seems to have worked. Creating niche markets is about selling people things that they didn’t know they wanted.

The third generation A6 Allroad is now with us, based on the latest A6 Avant bodyshell, meaning that more aluminium components have helped to slice around 70kg off the car’s weight. Audi claims that aluminium components make up some 20% of the total body weight. That 70kg reduction is more impressive considering that the car is 6mm longer than its predecessor at 4,940mm, 36mm wider and 13mm higher. The wheelbase is 72mm longer, while the front overhang has been reduced by 77mm.

For those off-road moments, the A6 Allroad has adaptive air suspension with a choice of settings and electronically controlled dampers. Quattro four-wheel drive with torque vectoring is standard on all models. Automatic transmission is also standard in the shape of either a seven-speed automated transmission or eight-speed tiptronic fully automatic.

Audi is offering five engine options, all with V6 configuration and 3.0-litres capacity – four diesel and one petrol. The direct-injection TFSI petrol engine uses a crankshaft driven supercharger to boost output to 310hp. Predictably CO2 emissions are the highest from this engine at 206g/km.

The diesels are all turbocharged with power outputs of 204hp, 245hp and 313hp. All engines are Euro5 compliant, but there’s also a Euro6 ‘Clean Diesel’ option for the 245hp variant, available in some markets, making up the fourth diesel option.
Quality is what you would wish for from a car costing upwards of €54,000, with impressive finish and high quality build. The interior would be familiar to a modern Audi A6 driver, with the large fold-out screen for the Audi infotainment system dominating the upper part of the dashboard.

We didn’t have an opportunity to drive the Audi off road and that’s a place that relatively few drivers are likely to go. But the driving experience is as impressive as you would hope from a model derived from the A6. Even the lesser powered diesels perform well and the chassis offers impressive grip and handling. Take it off road and there’s hill-descent control to help and bash plates to protect the underside.It’s spacious, comfortable and well appointed. Noise levels are low, which adds to the air of quality. 

Only the 313hp TDI model is available with the 8-speed tiptronic automatic gearbox but the 7-speed twin clutch automated shift is almost as accomplished. The slick, quick gear changes are what we have come to expect from the S-tronic/VW DSG family of gearboxes.

No modern Audi is understated. The deep front grille and crisp edges see to that, but all things are relative and compared with the bloated, overbearing Q7, it’s a quality car for the well heeled who may need to tow a horsebox or boat, but don’t need the high driving position and go-anywhere off-road ability.

Verdict

High quality, high specification, a great drive and fine choice of low-emitting diesels. Add offroad capability to estate car practicality for a tempting alternative to a large SUV.